# נפש
## Hebrew

* Root
* נ־פ־שׁ (n-p-sh)
* 3 terms

### Pronunciation

* (Biblical Hebrew) IPA: /napʃ/
* (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA: /ˈnɛ.fɛʃ/, [ˈnɛː.fɛʃ]
* (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA: /ˈna.faʃ/, [ˈnæː.fæʃ]
* (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA: /ˈne.feʃ/

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Semitic *napš-. Compare Akkadian 𒆒 (napāšum, “to breathe”), 𒍣 (napištum, “life”), Arabic نَفْس (nafs, “a soul, a life”), and Ge'ez ነፍስ (näfs).

#### Noun

נֶפֶשׁ • (néfesh) f (plural indefinite נְפָשׁוֹת, singular construct נֶפֶשׁ־, plural construct נַפְשׁוֹת־) [pattern: קֶטֶל]
* a soul, psyche (spirit of a person or animal)
* life (the state of being alive, of living)
** Tanach, Genesis 9:5, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:וּמִיַּד הָאָדָם מִיַּד אִישׁ אָחִיו אֶדְרֹשׁ אֶת־נֶפֶשׁ הָאָדָםumiyád haadám miyád ísh achív edrósh et-néfesh haadámand at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the life of man
* a person (human being)
** Tanach, Genesis 36:6, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:וַיִּקַּח עֵשָׂו אֶת־נָשָׁיו וְאֶת־בָּנָיו וְאֶת־בְּנֹתָיו וְאֶת־כָּל־נַפְשׁוֹת בֵּיתוֹ וְאֶת־מִקְנֵהוּ וְאֶת־כָּל־בְּהֶמְתּוֹ וְאֵת כָּל־קִנְיָנוֹvayikákh esáv et-nasháv v'et-banáv v'et-b'notáv v'et-kol-nafshót betó v'et-miknéhu v'et-kol-b'hemtó v'ét kol-kinyanóAnd Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the souls of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his possessions
** Tanach, Leviticus 21:1, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא־יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיוl'néfesh lo-yitamá b'amávThere shall none defile himself for the dead among his people
* will (intent, volition)
** Tanach, Genesis 23:8, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:אִם־יֵשׁ אֶת־נַפְשְׁכֶם לִקְבֹּר אֶת־מֵתִי מִלְּפָנַיim-yésh et-nafsh'chém likbór et-metí mil'fanáyIf it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight
* (dated) breath
** Tanach, Job 41:13, with translation of the New International Version:נַפְשׁוֹ גֶּחָלִים תְּלַהֵט וְלַהַב מִפִּיו יֵצֵא׃Its breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from its mouth.

##### Declension

| Number | Isolated forms | Isolated forms | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns | With possessive pronouns |
| Number | State | Form | Person | singular | singular | plural | plural |
| Number | State | Form | Person | m. | f. | m. | f. |
| singular | indefinite | נֶפֶשׁ | first | נַפְשִׁי | נַפְשִׁי | נַפְשֵׁנוּ | נַפְשֵׁנוּ |
| singular | definite | הַנֶּפֶשׁ | second | נַפְשְׁךָ | נַפְשֵׁךְ | נַפְשְׁכֶם | נַפְשְׁכֶן |
| singular | construct | נֶפֶשׁ־ | third | נַפְשׁוֹ | נַפְשָׁהּ | נַפְשָׁם | נַפְשָׁן |
| plural | indefinite | נְפָשׁוֹת | first | נפשותיי / נַפְשׁוֹתַי | נפשותיי / נַפְשׁוֹתַי | נַפְשׁוֹתֵינוּ | נַפְשׁוֹתֵינוּ |
| plural | definite | הַנְּפָשׁוֹת | second | נַפְשׁוֹתֶיךָ | נפשותייך / נַפְשׁוֹתַיִךְ | נַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם | נַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶן |
| plural | construct | נַפְשׁוֹת־ | third | נַפְשׁוֹתָיו | נַפְשׁוֹתֶיהָ | נַפְשׁוֹתָם | נַפְשׁוֹתָן |

##### Derived terms

* (will): מה נפשך
* (life): שם נפשו בכפו
* מַחֲלַת נֶפֶשׁ (makhalát néfesh)
* פיקוח נפש / פִּקּוּחַ נֶפֶשׁ (pikúakh néfesh)
* אַהֲבַת נֶפֶשׁ (ahavát néfesh)
* בְּלֵב וָנֶפֶשׁ (b'lev vanéfesh)

##### Descendants

* English: nephesh

##### Further reading

* H5315 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

נָפַשׁ • (nafásh) (pa'al construction)
* to go on holiday/vacation

##### Conjugation
#### Noun

נֹפֶשׁ • (nofesh) m
* defective spelling of נופש